Roxanne
by extrobox
Summary: At Hange's persistent nagging, Levi is brought to a cabaret where he finds himself entranced and drawn to the performance in front of him, more specifically, the performer. Erwin just wants Levi to get out instead of always being in his office and really has no idea what sneaky tricks Hange has up her sleeve.


Inspired by Roxanne from Moulin Rouge! I'd suggest listening to it to get a better feel for the vibe of the story. But that's just my suggestion.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Erwin. Nice to see you again."

Erwin turned around at hearing his name being called and broke out into a smile. He made his way over to Levi, taking his hand out of his pocket to shake it in greeting. He didn't see Levi much outside of the office, it was refreshing to see the ever-so intense man in a more relaxed setting.

"Congratulations on the promotion, I know you'll do the company well." Lev didn't respond to the compliment; he simply lit a cigarette and watched the smoke mingle with the cold January air.

"Where's Hange? This was her horrible idea, to begin with." He turned back to Erwin while exhaling the smoke through his nose.

"They're already all inside, I held back to make sure you actually showed up. I know you're not into this kind of thing."

"All? Who else came?"

"She brought Mike."

"Ah." Levi nodded, it made sense that Hange would bring her partner along. Sometimes he wondered how Mike was able to put up with the entity that is Hange Zoe. That woman was a walking tornado, flying in and out whenever she pleased. She was a brilliant engineer, graduating with honours in their class. She still had her eccentricities though.

"On that note, I'm surprised you actually did show up." He gave Levi an amused look while arching a brow. Erwin rubbed his hands together and blew into them for warmth before sticking them back in his pockets.

"Hn, only because shitty four eyes wouldn't shut up if I didn't show up."

_"Guys! Guys! Look at this!"_

_Hange came barreling into the office still dressed from head to toe in lab gear. Both engineers looked up from their work to Hange with a mix of annoyance and confusion. She was out of breath and had a big smile on her face. She lifted her goggles to her forehead, it almost falling off her head entirely. Levi's eyes fell to a sheet of paper that was clutched in her left hand._

_"What the hell is it four eyes? Can't you see we're busy here?"_

_"Isabel…huff… Gave me this!" Hange shoved the paper in Levi's face who glared at her while snatching it from her hand. His eyes scanned the paper quickly before tossing it to Erwin, letting it float into his lap._

_"Not interested."_

_"Oh, come on Levi! These guys are known world-over! I've been dying to see them and they're finally coming here!"_

_"Go by yourself then."_

_"They're dancers, Hange?" Erwin inquired while reading the paper. Levi leaned back in his chair and glared at Erwin. His eyes scanned the paper, his widening just for a moment before returning to their natural state._

_"Oi Erwin, don't encourage her."_

_"I'd be interested in seeing this."_

_Levi almost fell out of his seat while at the same time Hange cheered. "That means you have to come too, Levi! I'll see you guys Saturday night then!" She snatched the paper from Erwin and bounded out of the room, more hyper than ever. Erwin looked to Levi who was simply glaring at him and smiled while shrugging._

_"Sounds like fun to me."_

Erwin chuckled as he looked to his watch. "We should probably head inside, hurry up and finish. I keep telling you to quit." Levi took one more drag out of the cigarette before flicking it onto the road. "And I keep telling you, someday."

* * *

Hange was standing and waving Erwin and Levi over as they maneuvered their way through the throngs of people sitting at various tables and booths. There were way too many people for Levi to find this even remotely comfortable. He nodded to Mike in greeting as he pulled up a chair between Hange and Erwin.

"Glad you made it Levi; I would have been sorely disappointed if you didn't end up coming." She briefly looked to Erwin, giving him a knowing look. Erwin cleared his throat quietly before waving the waiter over to order drinks.

"So, Mike, how did you get pulled into this one?" Levi asked with an amused face, watching Hange turn to scowl at him. Mike chuckled while Hange and Levi had a friendly banter.

"I'm actually a fan of this group as well. They have a very young talented dancer who just graduated from Julliard. So, I'm interested in seeing how he does with this." His eyes wandered to the waiter who came back with their drinks, thanking the waiter as he placed his beer down on the table. Mike and Hange were quietly discussing something which ended with Hange slapping Mike's shoulder and her cackling at him.

"Julliard and he comes to a small town in Japan? Sounds promising." Levi retorted sarcastically. The lights began to dim, and the loud, boisterous chatting became quiet. The spotlight turned to an empty spot in the middle of the floor and a middle-aged man in a red vest appeared. Levi's eyes fell back to the stage as two others appeared on the stage, but the spotlight wasn't on them, so it was still dark, hard to see.

Then, the violin.

_First, there is desire…_

The light went back to the stage, a young man with brown hair standing straight with his hand above his head, other on his waist. There was another man standing beside him, with his hand on his shoulder.

_Then... passion!_

The man singing with the red vest walked up to the stage as the two began to dance sensually.

_Then... suspicion!_

The singer _grabbed_ the younger man by the wrist, pulling him towards him. He looked shocked, of course, a part of the act. He twirled him around, running his hands up and down his sides as they tangoed along the wooden stage.

_Jealousy! Anger! Betrayal!_

Suddenly the other man came back, pulling him back, and then he was pushed down to the floor. He didn't move, while the other two men stood there. The man in the red vest walked over, rolling him over and forcing him to get up.

_Where love is for the highest bidder, there can be no trust. Without trust, there is no love!_

He gasped, being pulled up by the wrist as he took hold of the other man's shoulders as he was forced to walk back as if he was being cornered. He was brought in at the waist and dipped back as he spun him around and brought him right back up to his face.

_Jealousy, yes, jealousy... Will drive you…!_

Levi was resting his elbows on the table, watching the stage with sharp eyes. This man was being tossed around on the stage, showing a very dramatic display with the intense music. It was odd. Strange even. He felt as if the story was drawing him in, becoming attached to the story.

The dancer threw his arms in the air, making fists and shaking them.

_Maaaaaaddddd!_

Levi leaned back in his chair, unbuttoning the cufflinks to his dress shirt and rolling them both up to his elbows and crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't notice Hange almost jumping in her seat as she looked between Levi and the stage while grinning like a fool in the wind.

The man on the stage was dressed similarly to the other man in the red vest, expect his was black and he was wearing black dress pants and shoes. He also donned black skin-tight gloves. His hair was tied back into a ponytail, strands going astray as he bounded around the stage. The other men he was dancing with were wearing white shirts and black pants. It was a clear and painful story of someone falling in love with a prostitute. Levi found himself almost going with every single movement, every single surprise a surprise.

_His eyes upon your face, his hand upon your hand, his lips caress your skin…_

Levi watched as he was weaving through the men, previously lifted in the air. He showed great concentration, but at the same time was in tune with the music and showing emotion to each part of the dance. But… He felt…

Disgust.

Anger.

It was only a performance. Why did he have to be touched in such a way? He didn't even know the man and was being possessive like a jealous husband. He wanted to tear off the hands of anyone that touched that body. The movements were so fluid, emotion in every movement. Only he should be...

_It's more than I can stand…!_

Suddenly he got up. Hange looked to Levi with wide eyes while Erwin went to get up with him.

"I'm going to the bathroom." He said quietly before turning on his heel and walking away from the table. Hange's mouth was wide open and that turned into a grin while pointing at him and looking at Erwin.

"I knew this was a good idea!" She whispered with glee before putting her hand under her chin and focusing her attention back on the show. Hange 1, world 0.

* * *

Levi barreled into the bathroom, almost knocking over the person who was just leaving. He murmured an apology while walking to the sink. He turned on the tap and splashed some water on his face. This was nothing short of insane. This felt like a possession almost. The more he watched them dance, the more he hated everything about it. His breathing was coming out heavy through his nose as he stood in silence.

There was loud applause from the crowd, and he knew that the performance was over. He ran his damp hand through his hair and loosened the top two buttons of his dress shirt. He ran his thumbs under the straps of his suspenders before turning to make his exit from the bathroom. Just as he opened the door, someone else ran smack right into him.

Levi almost wanted to lose it on the second person he almost ran into in the span of 10 minutes, until he saw who it was he ran into. Big green eyes looked up to him in shock, a slight flush on his cheeks. Levi's eyes widened in shock before narrowing into slits.

"I-I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention I just really have to use the-"

Before he could finish, Levi had pushed the man against the tiled bathroom wall, the bathroom door shutting in the process. He pressed his lips to his, delicious electricity shocking his system. He threaded his fingers through his hair, cupping his face. His fingers went further back, the loose bun holding brown locks together falling.

_Yes, jealousy... will drive you... mad!_

"W-wait..!" The other person murmured through a fierce lip-lock. Levi reluctantly parted his lips from his to look at his current partner's flushed face. He was breathing heavily and looked absolutely adorable.

"The least you can do is tell me your name?" He questioned with a small pout.

"It's Levi."

"Levi? I am Eren."

"Yes, I'm quite aware of who you are, a friend of mine was dying to come to see your show."

Eren blinked for a moment before a smile broke out on his face.

"Ah! You mean Hange-san?"

Now it was Levi's turn to be utterly confused. Was he dreaming this whole fucking thing? Because none of it made any sense.

"How do you know Hange? Didn't you graduate from Julliard?"

Eren's mouth dropped open before a barely contained laugh spilled out, then he flat out started laughing.

"J-Julliard? Where did you get that from?!"

Levi was becoming increasingly irritated and embarrassed by this entire situation. When he got his hands on that fucking four-eyed _freak…_

"I went to the same university as you and Hange. Different major though. I'm a veterinarian, although I do dance on the side as a hobby. It's quite fun! I know Hange because we both worked at the library."

How the hell did I never meet him then?

Levi's eyebrow twitched and he could swear that a vein was visible on his forehead. He sighed before taking a full step back from Eren and running a hand through his hair and putting a hand on his hip. He looked to Eren and saw that his back was still against the wall, but he was looking at him with a rather desirous look.

"Do you not want me anymore?" He questioned almost petulantly. Levi let out a laugh before licking his bottom lip.

"Trust me, you have no idea. But first things first…"

* * *

Hange was doubled over laughing, with more than a few people staring at their table. Mike sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and apologized to Levi for lying to him but Hange insisted on that they went along with it. Erwin was as shocked as Levi was but was glad that the situation smoothed over. He was getting worried at Levi's prolonged absence and wondered if he had gone home.

"I'm presuming that all is well. You introduced yourselves to each other?" Hange asked while looking to Eren. Eren was still in his stage attire and was in the process of putting his hair back in a bun.

"Or…more than introduced." She quipped while giving Levi a suggestive look.

"Shut up you freak."

Hange barked a laugh before taking another sip of her drink. Eren turned to Levi, a more knowing look on his face.

"I need to go change out of my clothes and actually go use the bathroom this time." He remarked sarcastically while giving him a coy smile. "I'll come back here in a few and maybe we can…go?"

Levi smirked and nodded, and a bigger smile stretched across Eren's face as he turned around and made his way to the side of the stage that led him backstage. When he was out of sight Levi turned to face Hange who had her chin resting on her hand and was looking at him with a shit-eating grin.

"Who comes up with the best ideas?"

"Shut up."

"Come onn, everyone at this table knows you needed to get laid. Cause' God knows when that last was…" Erwin's brows raised while laughing lightly as he looked to Levi. "I promise I had no idea that she was planning this I literally thought she wanted to come to see the show."

"I did though! Because Eren had told me and I figured that this would be the perfect chance to introduce you two. Sounds like you got that covered before I had to do anything." She shrugged her shoulders as Mike put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"You guys worked at the library together? How the fuck did I miss that?"

"I don't think you've actually ever…stepped foot into the library Levi." Erwin said while looking at Hange with an amused look. The library was massive, but lots of people were always there and it wasn't exactly what you'd call quiet. Plus Levi preferred to study and do his work at home anyway.

"That's fair." Levi shifted on his feet. "So Isabel didn't actually give you that flyer, did she? That was Eren?" Hange nodded while a laugh spilled out of her lips. "And you fell for it so easily too, man if I knew you were this gullible I would have done this a long time ago!" Levi glared at her. This woman sometimes...

Hange waved Levi off. "You can go meet your lovebird now we're fine here." Levi looked to Erwin who nodded and shrugged, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. He began rolling down his sleeves and buttoning them up again before putting on his jacket.

"See you Monday?" Erwin asked as Levi turned around. Levi raised his hand and waved, bidding the group goodnight. Hange thumb pointed to herself before laughing, deciding to change topics now that the main reason that they came was finished.


End file.
